Tea and Sympathy
by yipyop
Summary: Sonic and Amy are finally married! But Amy soon finds herself to be pregnant, coincidentally, at the same time as Rouge! An uplifting, feel-good story about family, love, friendship, and the joys and pains of becoming parents.
1. Chapter 1

**I.**

It was an early March morning when Sonic first knew something was going on with Amy, something very strange. Sonic was just lying in his warm cozy bed with the covers pulled up over his ears to keep the out the cold wind rushing though the window he forgot to shut, when he felt the bed shift. His lovely wife, Amy, made as little noise as possible as she pulled back the blankets carefully, and the springs in the mattress squeaked, letting the whole world know that she was escaping the bed without wanting to wake him up. The blue hedgehog felt a gush of cold air hit his back when she left and pulled the covers up tighter.

He had thought, _"Oh no, there she goes to close the window. Why didn't I just get up and close the thing? I feel like such an inconsiderate…"_ but Sonic was wrong. In fact, Amy hadn't even crossed to his side of the bed to his window. Instead, she had hopped from the bed with such great speed and agility that it didn't even look like she was tired in the least. Sonic peeked over his shoulder with groggy eyes just in time to see her slam the bathroom door.

It happened every morning after that. At first, Sonic didn't pay it much mind. But the incidents began to become more and more frequent…

It was a Saturday and the blue hedgehog had gotten up early to take a nice, hot shower. With his fresh clothes over one arm and his rubber ducky in his hand, Sonic headed merrily for the bathroom. Before he even knew what was going on, Amy, quicker than Sonic at dinnertime, cut in front of him out of nowhere and dashed into the bathroom, literally slamming the door in his face.

"Hey!" Sonic had shouted. "No fair!" He meant it as a joke, expecting Amy to open the bathroom door and laugh at his flabbergasted face when she nearly pushed him out of the way. But the door remained shut. Sonic, now getting annoyed (after all, there was only one bathroom in the entire house), pounded on the door.

"Come on, Ames. I was here first and you know it!" He pressed his ear to the door, hoping for a reply, but flinched away immediately. Awful gagging sounds issued from the room, followed by a toilet flushing and more gagging. Sonic, worried, knocked more softly, a little ashamed of himself.

"Uh…Amy? You feeling okay?"

"Uh huh…" echoed Amy's faint voice against the walls. She threw up again.

That wasn't even the worst part. Later that day when Sonic was finally able to emerge from his long-awaited shower, he went off to find some breakfast that was usually waiting on the table for him on Saturday mornings. He stepped out of the bedroom, expecting an aroma of pancakes, bacon and coffee, but all he could smell was the light rainfall and smell of a wet spring. The hedgehog scanned the kitchen and the living room to find his wife and ask if she was ok.

"Amy!" he called.

There was a weak whimper from the couch.

"Amy?" Sonic rushed over to the couch at supersonic speed to find his wife moaning and writhing on the cushions like a sick puppy. The blue hedgehog knelt down, full of curiosity and concern. How sick was she?

"Amy?" he asked urgently again, feeling her forehead. She didn't have a fever. "What's wrong?"

Amy painfully opened one green eye a crack. She clenched her stomach as her feet dug into the red cushions.

_"Cramps!" _she shouted, now beginning to chew on the pillows ravenously. "And 'that time of the month' was _last_ week!"

Sonic stared at her for one puzzled moment before bursting out in laughter. She glared at him.

"It is _not_ funny, Sonic!" she said angrily, now rubbing her thighs with hard friction. "Cramps hurt more than you know! Guys don't go through as nearly as much pain as a woman does!"

Sonic laughed jokingly. "Oh, please! These cramp things can't be all that bad. How much could they hurt anyway?"

Amy stopped rubbing her thighs and thought for a brief moment (before she started up again.) "Imagine this," she said. "Take you bottom lip…" Amy leaned in closer to Sonic and glared at him intensely. "…and pull it up over your head."

The blue hedgehog was petrified at her statement and stared at his wife with a new kind of amazement. Amy couldn't help but smile.

"Motrin, please," she commanded, writhing her feet on the couch again and holding out her hand expectantly.

……………………..

"Oh, Sonic, do you really have to go?"

Sonic the Hedgehog gave his wife a loving look as she stood in the doorway with her hands clasped together. Amy didn't want Sonic to leave on another "adventure" as he called them. She missed him terribly when he'd leave, but that wasn't the whole part of it. Amy hadn't been feeling herself lately. She felt sick every morning, she had terrible cramps even when it wasn't "that time of month," she felt fatigued all the time, and she was afraid to hug Sonic because…well, let's just say her "chest" felt a bit tender these days. But her husband waved his hand airily.

"Don't worry, Ames. I'll be back in a week or two."

"Not 'or two', Sonic. _One_ week."

"But Amy, I don't know how long it'll take…"

"Oh, come on. Getting rid of those robots won't take you two minutes, especially if you have Tails and Knuckles with you."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "It's more like sneaking into an underground base and plotting and…"

Amy pushed her finger to his lips to shush him. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she leaned in and kissed him. The blue hedgehog wrapped his arms around his wife's waist. He felt it was quite odd to reach up for Amy's waist instead of down, for she stood on the step above him. When they parted, Sonic grinned and hugged her…tight.

The pink hedgehog's eyes bugged out for the pain in her breasts, which he squeezed tightly. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out; she didn't want Sonic to know her boobs hurt when he hugged her. It was even more awkward than their wedding night where neither of them knew how to "do it." Amy suffered in silent agony until he finally let her go. Amy waited until he had turned around and was out of sight so she could hug her chest and breathe heavily.

_"GAH!" _she said between clenched teeth. "Why is it that guys don't understand the pains of breasts?"

"Well, what do you expect? They aren't just for attracting mates, you know."

Amy looked towards the path from the forest to see Rouge the Bat emerging from the trees' shadows and strolling towards her. They met in a light embrace.

"Hey, Rouge!" Amy smiled. "How are you? How's Knuckles?"

The bat shrugged. "Pretty good. Knuckles is still in shock from the pregnancy."

They giggled.

"I can imagine. Well, come on in! I'll fix you some tea…"

"Great! Have you got any Pop-Tarts?"

"You know it's a necessity, Rouge. Cinnamon or strawberry?"

"Cinnamon me."

Amy Rose shut the front door when Rouge stepped inside and made her way over to the cupboard. She pulled out the boxes of Pop-Tarts and tossed a cinnamon pack to her friend. Rouge ripped open the silver packaging and hungrily bit into the pastry. She sighed contentedly.

"Oh, I've been craving one of these since last week!" she moaned. "I told Knuckles to go and get me some, but he'd eat them all on the way home."

Amy bit into her strawberry tart and nodded considerately. "I know what you mean. I have to lock this cupboard up so Sonic won't get in. It's my personal stash of sweets."

They ate in silence for a while, licking up the crumbs from the silver paper afterwards, when Amy popped the question that had been on her mind all morning.

"Hey, Rouge?" she asked. Rouge raised her eyebrows to show she was listening. "How did it feel when you first knew you were pregnant? The symptoms, I mean."

The bat exhaled thoughtfully and leaned back in her chair. "That would have to have been about a week ago, right?" she said. "Well, I have to puke every morning, I have to shove Knuckles away when he hugs me too hard…" at this Amy folded her own arms across her chest, remembering the feeling. "…cramps, I get really depressed for absolutely no reason at all…oh! And I've been craving turkey lately…" The bat cocked her head in Amy's direction and narrowed her eyes. "Why do you ask?"

The hedgehog looked down at her fuzzy slippers. "Oh, no reason. Just wondering is all."

Rouge looked suspicious, but a loud noise interrupted their conversation abruptly. Amy hastily stood and rushed to the stove to pull the kettle off the flames, somewhat relieved. The bat observed her as Amy took two teacups down from the top shelf and filled them with the boiling water. She plopped a raspberry teabag in each and brought them to the table, where she sat down across from her friend. Rouge took her tea gratefully and inhaled the steam.

"You don't look so good, Ames," she commented. Amy sipped her tea and shrugged.

"I admit I've been a bit under the weather lately," the hedgehog confessed. "But I'll be fine. I just need to sleep a bit, that's all."

Rouge rolled her eyes. "You always say that, Amy! Then you end up auditioning for this and performing for that and working your tail off at the boutique!"

Amy quickly clanked her cup down on the table with a sudden look of realization. "Did I mention I got in 'Wicked the musical'?"

Rouge nearly spit her hot tea across the table. She stood up and nearly shouted. _"WHAT?! ARE YOU FREAKIN' SERIOUS?!"_

Amy screamed excitedly. _"Yes!" _

The bat squealed again and reached across the table to hug her friend. "Amy, that's awesome! What part?"

Amy shyly looked down at the floor. "Glinda…"

The hedgehog thought Rouge's lungs would explode when she shouted again. Amy couldn't help but laugh.

"I could hardly believe it when they told me!" she said. "By that time, I was used to getting the small roles in everything. You know, chorus members, background characters…the closest I had ever gotten to a lead role was playing Belle's understudy in _Beauty and the Beast."_

Rouge had finally calmed down enough to speak. "But didn't someone already put on _Wicked?"_

"It's a really popular show."

The girls spent the next hour and a half talking about the audition. Rouge wanted all the details, and Amy filled her in as best as she could.

"This is really amazing, Amy!" Rouge finally said happily. "I mean, you finally get to…" her voice trailed off in mid-sentence and she slowly turned to gaze at Amy. The hedgehog gave her friend a questionable look.

The bat stood up suddenly. "Amy, I think you should see a doctor."

Amy laughed. "Where did that come from? Really, Rouge. I'm fine!"

Rouge gave her a "whatever you say" look before pulling out her vibrating rhinestone cell phone and checking her caller ID. She mouthed the word "Knuckles" before flipping it open and saying in a sexy voice that made Amy snort a laugh, "Hiya, hot stuff. Mama's coming home soon…I need to take Miss Amy Rose Hedgehog to the doctor's…mmhmm…all right hon. Keep the bed warm…Oh, I'm _kidding!_ Gosh, can't you take a joke? I'll come home to say goodbye in a bit…bye. Yeesh."

Amy stifled her laughter until Rouge's phone finally "clicked" and the bat turned to her.

"Alas," she said. "It seems I cannot escort you to the doctor today, Miss Rose. I must bid my husband farewell before he departs." She cleared her throat. "So I guess you'll have to take yourself, and I'll know if you don't."

Amy sighed. "Rouge, really, I'm fine. Besides, I hate the doctor…"

But Rouge wouldn't hear a word of it. She headed for the door and let herself out. Halfway down the path she turned back and yelled, "Have fun, and tell me everything when you get back!" And she was a speck in the sky in an instant.

The pink hedgehog dragged her slippers to the window and sighed gloomily. She could never beat Rouge at any argument.

……………………..

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Guess who??? YAY! So here it is! The very first chapter to my new story! I don't think it turned out exactly as I would have liked…but I hope you like it anyway. I think it's a really cute idea. I always thought a pregnant mother looks so sweet and gentle…I don't know if that sounds weird or not!**

**I hope I have enough time to write now that my Internet's back…but on the downside; those horrible exams are coming up, not to mention I'm taking that evil driver's ED course…(shudder) Those corny videos, hours of homework, tests online…NOOOOOO!! **

**Well, if you ever feel stressed out or whatever, just send a message or comment or read or whatever you wanna do. That's what I do!**

**Will you guys PLEASE check out my Corpse Bride story? It's not creepy, and I like reviews…**

**Thank you for sticking with my mediocre stories!!!**

**With love,**

**FallenRose19**

**Elizabeth Black**


	2. Chapter 2

**II.**

The floor smelled weird. The waiting room was too clean. Everyone looked depressed and a little scared. Amy tried not to make it obvious that she kept glancing at the clock every five seconds. She shifted in her leather seat and scanned the room of people waiting for the nurse to come in and call them to their doom. There was a father looking like he wanted to strangle his two twin boys who ran around the waiting room screaming. There was a teenage cat in the corner with long hair, heavy makeup, and a totally cute babydoll top over a bloated tummy - pregnant. She frowned as her thumbs moved lighting-speed over her cell phone. Amy shook her head. In the opposite corner, a mother held her tiny crying infant. She looked close to tears herself. Amy didn't blame her.

"Miss Amy Rose Hedgehog?" the nurse in the long white coat called from the front desk. "The doctor will see you now."

"Thank you," Amy replied with as much patience as she could muster.

She stood up and followed the man through a door and down a large hallway. The pictures on the walls were so perfectly even and the place smelled so clean, Amy felt she was going to get sick again. She had to walk as fast as Sonic would have as she followed the nurse into another small, clean room. The man showed her in.

"Just sit up there and Doctor Bennet will be with you shortly," he said and closed the door.

Amy hesitantly sat on the paper-covered bed-thing. It crackled when she moved.

_I always feel like I'm being watched…_she thought. _It's always too quiet…_

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Hedgehog. My name is Dr. Bennet."

Amy jumped as the door swung open and the bird-lady spoke. Amy tried to smile. "Hi."

The woman smiled warmly at her and sat at her desk. She flipped through her clipboard. "Not feeling well, are we?" she asked.

Amy shrugged. "I feel fine now."

The doctor spun around in her chair and made a little note. "Will you mind telling me what's wrong?"

Amy scratched her head in thought. "Well, I throw up nearly every morning…" the doctor scribbled another note. "I have these really weird mood swings…one minute I'm fine and the next I'm crying and babbling because I can't find a sock that matches." The doctor nodded enthusiastically and scribbled furiously on her clipboard.

"I see," she said. "I have a general idea of what this may mean, but we'll need to run a few tests first. Will you follow me, please?" the bird stood and flipped through her clipboard until Amy had hopped from the paper she had been sitting on and followed her out the door. Again, Amy walked quickly to keep up. _Who are these people, track stars? _In a few minutes, Dr. Bennet had opened another door and led poor confused Amy inside.

"Take a seat," she said warmly. "I will be with you in a moment." And she was gone.

Amy rested her head in her hands.

_I hate the doctor._

……………………..

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Note to self: It is NOT a good idea to write two stories at the same time when final exams are right around the corner.

It seems that I'm apologizing more and more for my late (and lamely short) updates. So…I apologize once again. But you have to understand that I am an idiot for posting two stories at the same time O.o

**Ug. But updates will be MUCH faster (and longer) by next Saturday when school is over! HUZZAH!!**

**Thank you for putting up with me!**

**With love,**

**Elizabeth Black**


	3. Chapter 3

**III.**

Amy sat silently on the paper again, fidgeting with her hands in her lap. She looked up at the wall clock and back down at her hands again. Was time moving more slowly than usual?

Amy had been sitting at the doctor's office for three hours (most of the time she was waiting to be seen.) She had seen five different doctors and sat in six different rooms…in three hours.

_Honestly,_ she thought to herself, _it doesn't take this long to care for two patients in your office…I could be sleeping now. I do get rather tired…plus I still need to memorize my script. I wonder what Sonic would think if I really was…_

"Mrs. Hedgehog?" a voice asked at the door. Amy looked up.

"Another blood test?" she asked the doctor wearily. "I hate needles…"

Dr. Bennet laughed heartily. "Gracious, no! You're almost done. I just have the results right here…" The bird lady flipped through her unorganized clipboard and finally pulled out a yellow slip of paper. She shut the door and looked up at Amy with a huge grin on her face.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Hedgehog. You are pregnant."

……………………………..

"You're _what?!" _

Amy nodded enthusiastically. She tried not to laugh at her husband's flabbergasted expression as he stood before her like he was ready to fend off dragons. What a shock for him! He had just walked through the door; exhausted from the journey but happy to see his wife, when Amy couldn't help it and blurted out that she was going to have a baby.

"Are…are you sure?" Sonic looked into Amy's eyes.

Amy reached for Sonic's hand. "Quite sure, Sonic. The doctor says the baby should arrive in about ten months."

The blue hedgehog's pupils shrank to the size on pinholes. He sank into the nearest chair with a hand clutching his forehead. At that moment, all of Amy's excitement of being a mother dwindled out of her. Having a baby didn't seem as exciting if Sonic wasn't happy about it. She'd heard of Knuckles going into a sort of "state of shock" as Rouge put it.

"Sonic?" she asked, cocking her head in his direction. "Are you…I mean, do you not want…?"

The man's head perked up as if coming out of a trance. He shook his head hard. "Oh, Amy, of course not! It is exciting, really! It's just…" Sonic stared at his folded hands. "You know…money's a little tight and…"

Amy smiled warmly. "Don't you worry about that. It's all going to turn out fine." The pink hedgehog reached for Sonic's hand again. This time, he didn't pull away. Instead, he looked up at her. "You'll see."

………………………

It was an exciting week. Amy smiled remembering the look on Rouge's face when she told her the good news.

"I knew it!" she had exclaimed. "This is so tight! We can be pregnant buddies!"

It would probably be difficult to be pregnant and perform in a huge musical at the same time. But she would manage. It's not every day a small-town actress is accepted into any show at all.

Sonic had taken the news rather well. Knowing her husband, Amy thought Sonic might run away for a while to get a grip on things. He was just like that. But no. Sonic stayed by her side the whole week, asking if she needed anything, if she was comfortable enough…

Amy actually had to stop him when he tried to pick her up and be her feet for the whole day. Even though he was sweet about it all, nothing could make him keep his cool when the _cravings _began…

It happened about two weeks into the pregnancy. It was a cool spring night (make that morning.) The sky was dark, the lampposts were faintly glowing, and a light rain was falling. Quite relaxing, no? Sonic and Amy were fast asleep.

Suddenly, Amy's head jerked up off the pillow. Her eyes stared wide into the darkness. As slowly as she could, the pink hedgehog reached over to Sonic and shook his shoulder.

"Sonic…" she whispered. She shook him harder. "Sonic…wake up…"

The blue hedgehog's eyes blinked open. He lifted his heavy head off of the warm pillow and blinked wearily. When he looked over to Amy and realized her alertness, his eyes widened worriedly.

"A…Amy?" he asked urgently but groggily. "Are you…" He yawned. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

The alert pink hedgehog opened her mouth to speak. "Sonic…" she said again. She was beginning to scare him. Sonic clutched her hand. He was still half-asleep.

"Sonic…I need…" Amy still stared straight ahead.

"What, Amy?"

She swallowed. "I need…a watermelon."

Sonic started. "Wait…_what?"_

They stopped whispering. "I need a watermelon. _Now."_ Amy was getting scary.

"But…Amy," Sonic urged. "It's two in the morning!"

Amy's eyes welled up with tears. _"Sonic! I need it! If I don't get one I'll die!"_ She sniffled and burst into tears. Sonic held up his hands hurriedly.

"Alright! Alright! Geez, stop crying! I'm going right now, okay?"

Amy watched as the blue hedgehog stumbled down the stairs, slipping on his coat and ramming into things.

"Sonic!" Amy called after him. "Could you get some more Pop-Tarts, too? We're all out."

Sonic sighed audibly and slammed the door behind him.

……………………………..

AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Hello again! Another short chapter…I feel guilty, but you all should know what writer's block is, right? Plus, I had this great idea for a StarFox story. Hm…I've wanted to write an original story of my own lately because I feel so lame when my friends show me their amazing stories they made up on their own. I'll keep trying though. Thank you so much for the comments! Love y'all!**

**~Elizabeth Black**


	4. Chapter 4

**VI.**

The red pen was only used for crucial situations. For instance, if there were a letter that needed to be mailed ASAP, Amy would address the envelope in the red pen. If Sonic _needed_ Amy to look at a picture he drew, he'd draw it in red (don't ask…). If an important event were coming up, Amy would mark it on the calendar in the red pen. Today, it was the latter.

The pink hedgehog looked at the date on the calendar hanging up on the fridge: April 7th. She flipped through the pages until she got to January the next year. She circled the word in the red pen – the month the doctor said the baby was due.

_Ten months. That seems a bit longer than I've heard it was supposed to be,_ Amy thought to herself, recapping her pen. Amy had checked out just about every book on pregnancy and mothering the library had to offer, and she still didn't get it. Each book gave different information. Some said it must be nine months before a baby is due. Others claimed it was from eight to ten months.

_I guess it all depends. That leaves me about eight months to go…_

Amy flopped down on the couch and picked up her script, reading the title _"Wicked"_ over and over. Something felt weird. She reached towards the back of her shirt and slipped her hand under to adjust her bra strap. It had been feeling strange all day. She focused on her script but gave up and chucked it across the coffee table. Amy had already memorized the whole thing, right down to the punctuation marks and could recite it in her sleep. Amy nearly drove Sonic insane asking him to read with her all the time. She was so bored when he was at work.

The phone rang breaking the silence. Amy hoisted herself up off of the couch and jogged for the phone.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Well, hey there, sugar! If you don't sound just as happy as a puppy, no offense to those fuzzy little rascals, of course!"

Amy laughed out loud. There was only one person she knew who apologized for using animals in her expressions.

"Pat!" Amy grinned, reaching under her shirt and trying to fix her bra again. "How are you? How was your vacation?"

"Oh, it was relaxing, and then again, quite boring." Amy could almost envision Pat smiling over the phone. She was always smiling. "Enough about me, sugar plum. I heard about the itty-bitty bundle of joy just around the corner, sweetie!"

Amy blushed. "Oh, it's really exciting, Pat! But Sonic doesn't seem too happy about it…"

Amy heard Pat Haven cluck her tongue. "I wouldn't worry about it, precious. Women feel they become mothers once they find out. Men don't feel like fathers till the baby actually comes outta there. Men are very different, so don't take it personally."

Amy nodded, even though she knew Pat couldn't see it. "All right, Pat. I…"

A ringing sound filled her ears.

"Er…Pat? Someone's at the door, could I call you back?"

"That's fine, love. I'd better be scooting off anyway. Come and visit me sometime! Love yah, sugar!"

"Love you too! Bye!" Amy felt much better when she hung up the receiver and headed for the door.

Just as she expected, Rouge stood there grinning with a large bag in each hand.

"Heya, doll," she said, leaning over to peck her friend's cheek. "Doing anything today?"

Amy shrugged and smiled back, tugging her shirt down when it rose up. Was it always this tight? "Just got back from rehearsal. Stay for dinner?"

"If you insist," Rouge let herself in and dropped her bags on the floor, massaging her arms. "I have some things for you."

Amy looked on, puzzled, as Rouge leaned over and unzipped the first suitcase. The hedgehog bent down to the bat's level and reached inside. Rouge looked pleased when Amy gasped at the lovely flowery babydoll top she pulled out. She reached in again and pulled out some large khaki pants. When Amy gave her friend a questioning look, Rouge laughed and replied, "They're from the boutique, and I thought you could use them."

Amy cocked her head, observing the large clothes – none really in her size. "They're really nice, Rouge, but I won't be showing till about June...I'm not that big yet."

Rouge laughed out loud. "I know you're not getting bigger around the middle, hon. I'm talking about '_the girls' _up top," she said, gesturing to her breasts. Amy looked down at her own and realized that Rouge was right. No wonder none of her clothes really fit anymore…plus Sonic had been looking at her with a weird expression for the past few days.

_"Ohhh…"_ she said, suppressing a giggle. "Well, thanks, then!"

Rouge and Amy pulled out the rest of the "almost maternity" clothes, as Rouge called them, and Amy held them up to herself, enjoying the new smell of each one. The bat knew Amy's style, color, patterns…Rouge knew everything.

"Just one more problem, Rouge," Amy confessed. "What about my…?" she trailed off, adjusting her tight bra again.

Rouge held up one finger and unzipped her other bag. Amy looked inside and gave Rouge a knowing glance.

The bat shrugged. "I know everything."

……………………………

When you have new clothes, you always have this nice, excited feeling inside of you. You check yourself out in the mirror dozens of times before changing into another outfit again and again. You spend hours mulling yourself over in the mirror because you love the way the new clothes smell and how clean they are. This is exactly how Amy felt as she tried on outfit after outfit, haven't have gone shopping in a few months because of job interviews, auditions, you get my drift.

Amy felt much more comfortable in her new clothes and thanked Rouge over and over again. Rouge just shrugged.

"You've got to look nice for our baby shower tonight."

Amy smacked herself in the forehead. _"Baby shower? It's tonight? I completely forgot!"_

Rouge raised an eyebrow. "How could you forget? It's all you've been talking about for the past week and a half."

Amy sunk down into a nearby chair. "Wow…I guess I was so worried about the play and…" she shook her head. "Well, thanks for reminding me, Rouge..."

Rouge shrugged again. "Anytime."

……………………………

Amy was the last one to show up for her own baby shower. Even Sonic marked it in red on the calander.

Weird.

He even nodded when he noticed the new clothes that actually fit her.

"Snazzy," he commented.

Rouge was the first to greet them and lead them into the large house. Everything was decorated with light pink and baby blue streamers and balloons from wall to wall. Amy got dizzy every time she looked up at the towering ceiling. Cream nearly knocked Amy over when she jumped her, jerking Amy out of her dizzy spell.

"Amy!!" she squealed excitedly. "This is so great! Is it a boy or girl?"

The pink hedgehog laughed. "We don't -"

But the cute bunny was too excited. "…Susie, maybe, for a girl. Think that's cute? I like Elizabeth, too, but there's already this author I know named Elizabeth…"

Even Shadow nodded to Amy, but that wasn't enough. Sonic nearly dragged the black hedgehog over to his own wife to say congratulations. Shadow looked extremely uncomfortable, but Amy gave him a hug anyway.

Amy finally pushed her way through the many friends to Tails. She hugged him tightly.

"What's up, Tails?" she asked. "Busy as usual I hope?"

The fox brushed his bangs out of his face and grinned excitedly. "Yup. I just invented a jetpack that doubles as a digital camera and a toaster!"

Amy nodded, pretending she thought it was an amazing idea. "Well, that's really great, Tails. I…"

"That's not all!" the eager fox proclaimed. "I'm also working on this teleporter that can transport things from one place to another with just a press of a button! It doesn't really work yet, though. Right now it can only transport apples, and then they end up blowing up anyway – makes great applesauce – but I'm sure if I can calibrate the detonationator, I could…" and yet again, Tails' voice trailed off into his own little world, and that's when Amy knew it was time to slip away.

She finally caught up with Knuckles, and knew Rouge was not kidding when she said he was still in shock about the pregnancy. His face had a scary looking smile plastered onto it when he greeted her and said, "Hello, Amy. How nice to see you."

Amy fought the urge to laugh in his face. "You too, Knuckles. Sorry we missed you last week. I was at a rehearsal so…"

"What's up, party people?" exclaimed a loud voice. Sonic made his way over and stuck his arm around Knuckles' shoulders, who looked as though he was going to hurt somebody. "Oh, come on, knucklehead. Drink and be merry! The baby won't be around for months!"

Amy shot a distained look in Sonic's direction, who winced under her glare.

"Haha, only kidding, Knuckles!" Sonic said nervously, patting his friend on the head. Amy rolled her eyes.

"Who wants cake?" they heard Rouge yell from the kitchen. There was a loud cheer as everyone rushed into the next room. But Amy didn't feel hungry.

Were Sonic and Knuckles really dreading having kids?

……………………………

AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Well, here it is, just a quick little scribble. Tell me if this chapter seems rushed, I think it does…**

**CURSE YOU WRITER'S BLOCK!! If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I mean, I really do have the whole story planned out…just not everything. But I'm visiting my old home this Friday for a month (ug, three days stuck in the car with Thing One, Thing Two, and Malodorous the Ogre.) Once I get there, my amazing cousin and I will be brainstorming ideas for the story…I hope it's good…**

**Comments are always treasured! You guys make me feel so nice!  
**

**You know, I feel like this series is like one of those movies that didn't even need a sequel, and the sequels just made them worse, such as Shrek, Aladdin, Ice Age…bummer. But this series was just supposed to be for fun, so I'm not worried…**

**~Elizabeth Black**


	5. Chapter 5

**V.**

It was a long day. Besides his job, Sonic had to spend the rest of his afternoon (and well into the evening, mind you) to go to the happy little baby shower. He had fun, but he also had work in the morning. It was nice to finally kick back and relax once he got home with Amy. He fell almost instantly asleep once his body crashed upon the bed.

But he could plainly see that getting a good night's sleep would be far from easy.

Sonic was walking through the forest on a beautiful spring morning before the sun was even up. He breathed in the fresh, cool air and sighed contentedly. A single bird sung a good morning to the world and a light breeze whispered in Sonic's ear. Everything felt so right and peaceful, like nothing could go wrong.

Suddenly a glimmer of pink caught the corner of his eye. The blue hedgehog turned around to find a calm little stream splashing quietly against the rocks. Sitting beside it was Amy, but her back was turned as she faced the stream. Sonic smiled when he walked up to her and touched her shoulder.

Amy turned around, grinning, and holding a small bundle in her arms. Sonic gave her a quizzical look and peeked into the blanket.

Before he could even see what lay inside, a blinding gleam of light flashed into his eyes.

Sonic abruptly opened his eyes to see that there was light shining in his face, but it couldn't possibly be morning yet. He turned over on his side and there was Amy, sitting upright in bed, wide-awake, scribbling something on a notepad and humming softly.

The blue hedgehog blinked groggily. "Whatimeisit?" he slurred.

Amy looked over at the alarm clock on the bedside table and went back to her writing. "About three," she said. "You should be asleep, silly."

"Well, you should be – never mind. What on earth are you doing?"

Amy shrugged. "I couldn't sleep, so I'm thinking of good baby names. What do you think of Maddie?"

Sonic blinked. "What?"

"Maddie," Amy replied softly. "I think it's cute, but for a boy, maybe Sam. I've always loved that name, what do you think?"

Sonic had had just about enough. There he was, half asleep, he had work tomorrow, and he had no idea where ends were going to meet financially, and Amy was keeping him up asking him what he thought of the name _Maddie?_

"Amy," he said dangerously, "Turn off the light and let me sleep."

His wife looked up from her work. "It's only a little light, Sonic. I can't – "

_"Amy!"_ he said a little louder. "I don't _care,_ all right? Name the thing whatever you want, just let me get some sleep!"

Men aren't always the sharpest tools in the shed, if you know what I mean. Sometimes they say things they don't exactly mean in full at the moment, and it's worse if they say that stupid thing to someone of the female persuasion. Men and women are almost different species, and women can take just about anything the wrong way, which is why a man must be cautious when choosing his words. In this situation, the polite thing to do would be to nod, smile, and go back to sleep.

But he didn't. He blurted out what he had been thinking about for the past weeks and knew he screwed up the moment he opened his mouth.

Amy just stared at him with her wide jade eyes.

"What did you say?" she sounded hurt. "Is that what you think of this whole baby thing? You don't _care?"_

Sonic gulped. He wasn't sleepy anymore. "Uh…Amy, listen…I didn't mean it that way…I was just…"

Amy gripped her notebook so tight she ripped a page and stared daggers into Sonic's eyes. "I knew it! Ever since you found out about this baby you haven't been yourself! You're lethargic and lazy even though you know _I_ work 24-7 around here! I know money's tight, but raising a child isn't always fun, okay?"

Sonic sat up, forgetting about sleep. "I never said it was fun, but – "

"'_But'?"_

The blue hedgehog bit his lower lip. You'd think a full-grown man who could beat up robots without so much as getting a scratch wouldn't be so afraid of his own wife. "But I'm just worried about money…you know my job doesn't get much, and you're so concerned with getting accepted into plays…being an actor is a tough job and you're lucky if you get paid at all."

"But we _are_ lucky, Sonic! I work nights at Rouge's Boutique and I just got into one of the newest and most popular musicals of all as one of the leading ladies!"

"But you need to wake up, Ames! You're not always going to get good parts, okay? You told me that yourself! I just think you need to get out and find a _real_ job!"

While Sonic was spitting out his words, he barely even conceived that he had crossed the line.

Amy looked angrier and more hurt than Sonic had ever seen her before. Her eyes burned with hot tears and she had dropped the notebook. She never once blinked.

Finally, when Sonic couldn't bear to look at the pain on her face anymore, she flung herself out of bed, grabbed her pillow in a rage and headed for the door. Sonic sat up straighter.

"Amy, wait!"

The pink hedgehog stopped for a moment and turned around. She quickly walked back to the bed and grabbed the whole comforter out from under Sonic. She stormed out of the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

…………………………………..

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**I thought I'd write a short chapter before I left.**

**You guys wanted to know what was going on in Sonic's head.**

**I don't think Amy is pleased.**

**No one is a perfect couple. I wanted to show people that even the sweetest newlyweds and oldest couples can get into arguments, and this leads to half the world getting divorces. It's really sad.**

**Tell me what you think! I worked hard on this chappie!**

**Thank you guys!**

**~Elizabeth Black**


	6. Chapter 6

**VI.**

Sonic felt like a jerk.

He would have gotten a lot more sleep if he had just let Amy do her little name game in bed. He lay awake all night staring at the ceiling and wishing he could take back all of the inconsiderate things he said to his wife just because he was a little cross.

_But it wasn't all me,_ he thought grumpily, turning over in bed. _She's always so moody, and she knows how I get when I'm tired…_

Sonic turned over onto his belly and looked at the alarm clock. Already five. He remembered how annoyed he was when Amy interrupted his weirdo dreams with a bright light on (actually, it wasn't even that bright, but any kind of shiny thing could wake up a soundly sleeping boar.) He sighed. Amy hadn't really done anything wrong, and he did say some mean things to her and the baby.

_Who am I kidding?_ Sonic sat up and rubbed his eyes. _This mess is my entire fault. I know Amy's working really hard around here and all I've done is sit around like a contented old housecat. _

The blue hedgehog flung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, groggily feeling around for the door. He knew he had to apologize, even though it wasn't entirely his fault.

_Amy works herself stupid for everyone,_ he thought as he made his way down the stairs, slipping twice. _I'm gonna do everything I can to help her out._

He found his lovely wife soundly asleep on the couch, hugging a pillow to her chest and wrapped snugly in the comforter she had stolen right from the bed. He noticed the "Wicked" script lying beside her.

"Oh yeah, the play's in three days…" he mumbled. Without waking her, Sonic reached down and gently took the script out from under her nose. He silently flipped through it.

"She was in Ian White's version of it a while ago…" he said to himself, remembering Amy and Ian talking about it at their wedding. "She was so happy, and now she gets to do it again as a higher paying job…" He looked down at his sleeping wife and smiled proudly. "She just has the right personality. She's so talented."

"Hm…?" The pink hedgehog blinked her eyes sleepily and looked up into Sonic's face. She gave him the tiniest of smiles. "Hi."

Sonic put the script down on the floor and kneeled beside the couch and stared into her face. "Hi," he whispered back.

They sat in silence for a while. Sonic listened to Amy's sleepy, heavy breathing and the _tick tock _of that old clock on the wall he loved so much. Eventually, Amy's eyes fluttered open once again.

"Sonic?" she whispered. The blue hedgehog leaned in and placed his forehead against hers.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Sonic. I shouldn't have woken you last night. We were both tired and stressed and said dumb things."

Sonic smiled at his beautiful Amy. "It's my fault, Ames. I do want to have the baby, I really do."

Amy closed her eyes and sighed with content when he finished, "Forgive and forget?"

Amy leaned in and ever so lightly kissed his lips, then lay back on her pillow and closed her eyes once more.

"Sonic…" she breathed. He leaned in, all ears.

"Yes?"

Amy hugged her pillow. "Could you go get me some chicken fingers…?"

……………………………….


	7. Chapter 7

**VII.**

"Come on, Sonic! I was supposed to be there two minutes ago!"

"I told you to go without me! I can't find my tie!"

"Even if you could, you know you can't tie it yourself! Come here!"

Amy tapped her foot impatiently, and in a split second, Sonic was standing by her, holding a limp black tie in his hands. He smiled proudly and waved it around. "Found it!"

Amy shook her head knowingly and wrapped it around his neck, hands trembling. She wiped her sweaty palms on her black dress. Sonic took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "Amy, chill," he said. "You're going to blow them away."

Amy took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's just get over there before I pass out."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you're not serious, are you? Are you feeling okay? You didn't look so good earlier…"

Amy shrugged. "I think it's just nerves."

…………………………….

Sonic stood behind the endless line of people, alternating from one foot to the other in anticipation. He hated waiting in lines. Sonic had a free ticket, so what was he waiting around for? He looked over the countless heads of people and caught a flash of red ahead of him. Surely Knuckles. But seeing his old buddy would have to wait until the line decided to move.

After what seemed like hours standing in the same spot, he made his way up to the ticket taker. After the man ripped his ticket, Sonic sped off to find the rest of the gang.

"Sonic! Over here!" a voice called. Above the swarming crowd, Sonic just spotted a hand waving to him from a few rows down. He got there as fast as he could, nearly knocking over innumerable teenagers as he passed.

"What's up, buddy?" Knuckles hugged his old friend when Sonic reached the front row directly in front of the orchestra pit. The musicians warmed up.

Sonic shrugged. "Not much. You guys okay? Rouge how are things?"

Rouge patted her own tummy. "I've been better. I could really go for a giant cookie right now _this big,"_ the bat gestured with her hands and looked expectantly at Knuckles. She blinked at him. "Knuckie?"

Knuckles pretended to be interested with the closed curtain. "My, this place is huge," he commented. Rouge frowned.

He was right. The last play Amy was in took place at a community theatre. It was nice, but it reminded Sonic of his awkward high school days where kids with absolutely no talent stumbled over lines and sang off-key. The round ceiling made him dizzy, and the stage was another story. It was a change for the better.

Sonic sat back in his seat. "I meant to ask if you guys knew anything about all these _hooligans,"_ the hedgehog faked shaking his imaginary cane like an old guy wondering where all the teens came from. Rouge rolled her eyes.

_"Wicked_ is mostly a popular show among teen girls," she explained.

"But as long as Amy plays a great Glinda, I'm in," another voice finished.

Sonic turned and grinned at the familiar face of Tails and the cute bunny beside him. Cream clutched his arm and waved to Sonic as well. She had definitely grown up. Cream wore a cute pink dress and high heels that made her look an inch taller than Tails. They took their seats beside their friends.

"And where have you two been?" asked Sonic expectantly. "You're late."

"Probably out knockin' boots," finished Rouge. Knuckles shot her a disdainful look as both Tails' and Cream's faces both turned a bright red.

"I was only _kidding!"_ Rouge apologized quickly. "Man, can't you guys take a joke?"

Being of a kind nature, Cream giggled good-naturedly, knowing Rouge. "It's all right. We just came back from dinner."

As Cream chatted about the lovely dinnerware and color of the napkins, Knuckles took his wife aside and whispered something in a harsh tone. Rouge rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

"_Joking!"_ she repeated. "Geez, what's wrong with a little humor…?"

Someone shushed them both. The lights had dimmed, and the usual reassuring voice over the microphone spoke:

"_Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to Ponders End Theatre. We request you turn off all cell phones and pagers before we begin. Even the slightest signal could…"_

There was a loud rummaging through bags and pockets, and little beeping sounds as people turned off their phones. Rouge made an especially big deal of it.

"_Knuckles!"_ she whispered frantically. "I can't find the button! It's too dark in here!"

"…_nearest exits to the back of the theatre in case of an…"_

"It's right here, Rouge. And it's really not that dark, calm down…"

"…_please refrain from speaking while the play is in progress. We hope your…"_

"Thanks, hon. Man, just start the show already! I paid to see Amy, not to hear some broad lecture us for – "

"Shh!"

"…_hope you enjoy the show."_

Sonic beamed as the overture played beautifully in the orchestra pit almost directly in front of them. It gave him chills, and Sonic just realized that he had never been to a show like this before and now knew how exciting they were. The heavy red curtains parted slowly in time with the music, and a large crowd of actors immediately began to sing.

"_Good news! She's dead! The witch of the west is dead!"_

Cream squealed silently in her seat. This was obviously her favorite show; she wouldn't stop talking about it ever since it came out on Broadway.

"_Good news!"_

"_Look!"_ said an especially tall actor, pointing upwards. _"It's Glinda!"_

In the first scene, Amy made her appearance. She sported a sparkling white ball gown, a large tiara, and a wand. She descended and sang in a clear voice,

"_Let us be glad! Let us be grateful!"_

And Sonic was smitten with the first note she sang.

…………………………………..

"Why do girls have to be so emotional?" wondered Sonic. Tears were pouring from Cream's eyes, Rouge dabbed at her face with a shredded tissue, a group of teen girls sitting directly behind Sonic sniffled deafeningly. The blonde one blew her nose loudly.

Despite how annoying everyone was being, Sonic couldn't help but feel choked up at the final scene. The music moved him, and the way Glinda and Elphaba sang their hearts out, crying for leaving each other made him want to borrow a tissue. The chills down Sonic's spine only grew as the last note was held and the last beat struck. A moment of silence, and then thunderous applause.

Music played and actors bowed and curtsied. Amy and the actress who played the heroine bowed together, and everyone stood. The teens behind Sonic screamed, nearly making his eardrums burst. Seeing Amy up there on stage, cheeks gleaming with tears…Sonic had never been more proud.

………………………………..

AUTHOR'S NOTE

**It wasn't the writer's block that kept me, readers. As you should know, I was away on a very long vacation. The chapter's not the longest, but I'm sorry, you're going to have to deal with it for now. I'm working on about four stories at the moment, which is NEVER a good idea, but there you have it. **

**I wish I could write longer chapters, but this story is just a feel-good type thing. If you've ever seen "Juno", you'll know what I mean.**

**Thanks for reading, anyways.**

**~FallenRose19**

**Elizabeth Black**


	8. Chapter 8

**VIII**.

Amy stumbled off the stage, extremely happy, but exhausted. She nearly tripped over her gown as she made her way to the dressing rooms. Just as she was sitting down in the nice soft chair before the mirror, a familiar voice called out her name through the door. With a groan, Amy hoisted herself up from the chair and dragged her feet over to the loud knocking sounds. Just as she turned the knob, about five people stumbled in and held her in a crushing hug. Sonic was closest.

"Amy, you were amazing!" he said, squeezing her.

"Rouge was crying," Knuckles said, nudging his wife. "Not that it's hard to make her cry these days."

"Oh, shut up," Rouge retorted, playfully punching him in the arm. "Amy, sweetie, you were beautiful! No one could have played it better!"

Amy hugged her hard.

"Cream! You made it!"

Cream giggled and took her turn hugging her friend. "You were incredible, Amy. I've been meaning to ask you how you've been doing?"

Amy shrugged. "Oh, I'm fine. I mean, I thought I would die of hunger up there for a while, but…"

"That's nothing a little chocolate can't fix!" smiled Tails, and with a flourish, handed Amy a huge decorative box of chocolates and a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

"Oh, aren't you the sweetest?" Amy exclaimed, kissing Tails' cheek and taking the gifts gently.

It was a pleasurable evening. As much as Amy begged Sonic to let everyone come over for coffee and dessert, he nearly forced her home to get some rest before the two shows she had the very next day.

"But Sonic!" she whined, gripping his arm. "I never get to see anyone anymore!"

Sonic rolled his eyes and fumbled for the house keys. "I know how you like to entertain, but you really need to sleep. Besides, they're all coming over for a movie night in a few weeks. You can knock yourself out then."

Amy snatched the key chain away from Sonic and slipped the right one into the slot.

"You know I can't wait that long," she said as she opened the door to the cool, dark house.

Sonic closed the door behind him and reached for the light switch. "Well, you're gonna have to as long as I live here."

Amy shoved him playfully. "And how do I argue with that?"

……………………………

Amy hated sunny days.

She remembered how her face would brighten up every morning when she saw how happily the sun was shining. But the sun just wouldn't _stop_ shining nowadays. It made her grumpy every morning to wake up to a hot blinding light in her face. Amy lived for the days when the rain would pour and the thunder would shake the house.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Sonic had joked. "Joining the dark side, are we? I'll go call Shadow, I think he has a pamphlet…"

It was even worse to sit around the house on days she wasn't working with nothing to do, the ugly sunlight streaming in through the windows. Sonic had been gone for about a week and wasn't expected back for at least one more. He called these little outings "business trips."

But this morning was different. When Amy woke up to the bed all to herself again and expected the streak of sunlight to hit her eye, nothing came. The hedgehog opened her eyes and peeked cautiously over her shoulder. To her great delight, the sky was almost black with clouds and the soft rolling of thunder could be heard from far away. A light drizzle patted the windows and dripped down, turning the once clear window into an array of sparkling moving patterns. Amy nearly leaped out of bed and quickly showered. When she emerged, she was very happy to see that the rain was falling faster.

Amy cheerfully flipped her French toast and even clapped happily when the lightning flashed across the sky.

"Perfect day for working," she said to herself.

While everyone else on the streets hurried to their destinations huddling under large umbrellas and avoiding every puddle, Amy stuck her tongue out and tasted the cool rain. She skipped over the puddles, sometimes "accidentally" stepping into them and splashing herself. Although she was having a blast, Amy did feel quite relieved when she stepped into Rouge's Boutique and smelled the familiar smells and the coolness on her face. Rouge waved to her and motioned her to come over.

"Amy, I got a bigger size uniform for you," she said brandishing a large brown bag. "I mean, you're not showing too much yet, but I am…" Rouge laughed to herself and patted her growing tummy. "You've got a few weeks before you get big."

Amy thanked her and went off to change. Her old uniform was starting to feel quite tight around the chest, and like Rouge, she exchanged her skirt for the black slacks.

Amy was quite cheery throughout the day, helping customers with a grin on her face. She even visited Pat's Pet Shop across from the boutique. Pat looked absolutely delighted to see Amy and congratulated her on the musical.

"I took my nieces to see you on your last show," she explained. "My, they were as happy as clams, no offense! They told me they wanted to be just like you when they grew up, bless them!"

Overall, it was a pretty good day. At five the store closed. Amy and Rouge cleaned up and turned off the lights. The bat grabbed her large leather purse and fixed her hair in front of a nearby mirror. They locked the doors behind them as they left the shop and walked to the exit. Rouge immediately pulled a whole bag of salt and vinegar chips from her purse and opened them with a pop.

Amy gave her friend a quizzical look. "Rouge…I thought you hated salt and vinegar?"

"I do! But I've wanted these for such a long time now for no reason…_man!_ This kid has an appetite!" she munched.

Amy stuck her hand into the bag to feel that it was nearly gone. She shook her head.

"Did you know the gender, yet?" she asked.

Rouge chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, Knuckles and I decided that we want it to be a surprise, although he is hoping for a boy…"

"What do you want?"

Rouge grinned mischievously. "I'll feel so bad if it's a boy because I'm secretly wishing for a girl. I mean, of course I'll be just as happy with either but…" she shrugged. "Girls are more fun."

Amy laughed. "I agree."

Rouge crumbled up the bag of chips and stuck it back in her purse, exchanging it for a small bag of gummy bears.

"Why don't we go grab some pizza?" Amy asked. "I'm starving."

"Me too," she agreed, chewing off a gummy's head. "But the pizza will have to wait for another day. Knuckie needs me to get some dinner ready," she sighed. "I really hate cooking…"

Amy took a handful of colorful bears. "Mind if I join you guys? I make a mean pasta salad."

Rouge laughed. "Less cooking for me anyway. We'd love to have you!"

Amy grinned her thanks. "Plus, I'm getting pretty lonely without Sonic around. I mean, I know he has a really important job to do but…I never know when he'll be back."

Amy moodily bit the legs off of a red gummy. The bat patted her shoulder.

"Hey, no worries. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, you know."

The pink hedgehog looked up at the sky and sighed. "Well, it looks like it's going to rain!"

Rouge nodded her head. "Excellent."

Later that evening, the three friends sat down to dinner together. Amy told no tales. Even Knuckles said so, word-for-word; "Wow, Amy, you make a mean pasta salad!"

Both Rouge and Amy had trouble not laughing at this remark, which just made Knuckles confused.

"What's so funny?" he said.

"More rolls, Knuckles?" Amy asked.

Later that evening, they all sat in front of the T.V. together, seeing if they could catch anything about Sonic's whereabouts on the news. Nothing seemed to be coming up, so that was somewhat a plus for Amy. If nothing about Sonic had been said, then he probably hasn't gotten into any danger. It made her feel a bit relieved.

"So Rouge…you, um…feeling okay?" Knuckles asked quietly when he though Amy wasn't listening. She tried not to eavesdrop.

Rouge shrugged. "The norm, really. I could really go for a backrub, though," Rouge reached back and tried to rub out the knots in her shoulders. She groaned. "It's been like this all day…"

Amy sat closer to the television, trying to pretend she had no idea what they were talking about, but she couldn't help smiling to herself at how cute it was.

She took a peek over her shoulder and saw Rouge's eyelids at half-mast and Knuckles behind her, massaging her shoulders with his strong hands. Rouge sighed contentedly. "That's better," she said.

Knuckles kissed his wife softly on her neck. Amy turned away, red-faced. It was then she wished more than anything that Sonic was home to give _her_ a backrub, kiss _her_ neck, and ask how she's been doing.

She came home that night in a slump, rubbing her growing tummy and wondering if Sonic really was worried about the baby.

…………………………….

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Thanks for reading! I'm starting to get back on my feet, but school starts next Thursday…BARF. Ah, oh well. I'll be jamming in as much writing as I can before high school takes over my life.**

**My room is WAY too hot for comfort. I'm whining in my chair just sitting here with both fans going and the blinds down. The sun comes right in my room and heats it up without my permission. Royal suckage.**

**Thanks again, readers! Huzzah for babies!**

**3**

**Elizabeth Black**

**FallenRose19**


	9. Chapter 9

**IX.**

It was cloudy that day, which put Amy in a relatively good mood. Despite the fact that a little creature inhabited her tummy, it was also swarming with butterflies. She really didn't know why she was so jumpy and apprehensive. Sonic was just coming home – he'd done it a thousand times before.

Trying to keep her hands busy to take her mind off of the anxiety that came up from her tummy into her throat, she busied herself stirring the spaghetti and sticking the rolls in the oven. Sonic would be home any minute, and he was almost never late.

As she slipped the oven mitts off her hands, she stared thoughtfully out the window and massaged her growing belly absentmindedly. As hard as she had tried to push the thought away, it kept pressing on her mind. Was Sonic truly stressed out about the baby? He was usually the one who thrived on adventure and experiencing new things. He was carefree, and that was one thing Amy loved about him. But Amy had heard countless stories of couples getting divorced over things like this. The husband was stressed and didn't want to take on the responsibility of a family, or the wife. Amy's own parents divorced when she was a little girl. She hated it and thought it was really sad. Maybe this time off he took was good for him. Did he need to get away for a while? Would he be coming back?

She stopped rubbing her tummy and reached across the table to grab herself a handful of Dove chocolates. She's had this wonderful craving for chocolate for about a week, and ever since, she had set about six glass candy dishes filled with chocolates all around the house; one in the bedroom, the living room, two in the kitchen, the hall and even the bathroom. Amy unwrapped the foil and bit into the candy, sighing contentedly. All of life's problems solved with choc –

"Hey, good-looking."

Amy jumped at the sudden noise and spun around in her chair. Sonic the Hedgehog wore his cocky grin, his bag on the floor. He spread out his arms wide.

"Miss me?"

Amy grinned from ear to ear and threw herself on him. It was so hard to stay angry at Sonic the Hedgehog.

"You're a week late," she said. "I was so upset when I got your call…"

A shadow of gloom passed Sonic's face. "I know…I'm really sorry, but they said they needed help with the…well you know. I tried to get home sooner, I really did…don't think I'm avoiding you…"

Amy gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I don't think you're avoiding me anymore," she wrapped her arms around his neck. "So how was your trip?"

"Quite repetitive, if you want to call it a trip." He looked down at his wife and cocked his head to the side as if studying her. "Is it just me, or do you look bigger?"

He suddenly cupped his hand over his mouth. "Oh! Uh…not in a bad way…like you're not fat, no! You're absolutely beautiful! But all I meant was…aw crap…"

Amy shook her head. "Sonic I get what you mean, I'm not offended." She placed a hand on her growing tummy. Sonic played with his ear a little and looked down at his wife again.

"Not just your stomach, I mean your…never mind."

Amy laughed out loud and punched him playfully. "We can have sexual intercourse enough to have a baby but we can't talk about my boobs…yeah I said it," she added in response to his surprised and quite embarrassed expression. He laughed a bit nervously and shook his head.

"So…how are you feeling, Ames?" he finally asked, his brow wrinkling into a frown. Amy was almost startled to see him look that aged. He wasn't very old at all, in fact, they married very young, but the dark circles under his eyes indicated sleepless nights and hard thinking. What was he wondering?

Amy blushed a little at his intent gaze. "Oh, I'm fine. Sometimes I feel a little sick, but it's nothing, really." She absentmindedly rubbed her tummy again as he watched, a curious expression on his face.

"Do I smell Italian?"

Amy led him to the table where they sat and ate. Sonic stuffed his face hungrily and wouldn't stop asking for more rolls. They sat and talked about the trip, mostly. Sonic looked as though he really wanted to describe every detail of his excitement, but recoiled as though he thought he might offend Amy by not asking how her weeks have been. She wasn't offended. On the contrary, she found him rather amusing.

After a peaceful dinner together, they sat in front of the television with a movie and popcorn. It was the most contented Amy had felt in a long time. She snuggled deeper into Sonic's arms and reached for more popcorn.

"Needs salt…" she munched. Sonic reached for the whole bowl and set it on the couch between them.

"You said that about the wine, too," he joked, raising his eyebrows in an amused way. Amy blinked innocently.

"When you're as big as I am, you can never have too much salt."

The pink hedgehog reached for her glass of wine and took a sip, then passed it to her husband. He squeezed her shoulder.

"I missed you, Ames."

Amy nuzzled his cheek. "I missed you too."

Sonic bit his lip as if he wanted to say something else. "Ames…um…please don't think that I left because of the baby…I didn't need time to think or anything, I really did miss you and…" he sighed, as if his words wouldn't come out right. "Anyway, I'm sorry."

Amy stared blankly at him for a moment then burst into giggles.

"You read my mind, you know," she said. "I just hoped you were happy, Sonic." She reached for his hand and placed it on her own belly.

Sonic gave her a warm smile. "I am."

………………………..

AUTHOR'S NOTE

**High school is going to murder me. As hard as I've tried to get this written, school kept bursting in on my free time and reminding me of deadlines. I can't even write on the weekend anymore! School is pure evil, but at least here's a bit of a chapter. Your patience makes me cry, readers. Haha. Tell me what you thought of the chapter (besides it being short, I KNOW.)**

**Thanks, all!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**X.**

"Seriously, Amy, let me do that."

"No, no, Sonic I've got it. You go back to the game."

"Amy, I am not letting you get everything ready all by yourself. The doctor told you to rest this week. Your cold is getting worse the more you're up…"

"Yes, I know. But the meal's not going to cook itself."

Amy stirred the contents in the large cooking pot and bustled over to the oven to check on the turkey. Sonic stood exasperated at the counter and looked like he didn't know how to argue any further. Amy didn't seem to notice. She wiped her hands on her apron and rushed over to check on the rising dough hidden underneath a clean dishtowel. She lifted a corner and peeked under.

"Amy, really, sit down, please?" Sonic looked desperate, as if _he_ were the one pregnant. The pink hedgehog looked torn, as if she didn't trust her husband enough to cook the Thanksgiving dinner.

"Well…all right. But just for a little bit…" Amy waddled over to the kitchen table and sat in the nearest chair, looking like she'd rather eat slugs than rest her feet.

"But Sonic, I just need to check on the…"

_ "NO."_

Amy folded her arms across her chest and pouted. Sonic cast her an amused grin.

"Kay, I'm rested!" she announced after only fifteen seconds. She stood up quickly and bustled over to the oven again. Sonic frowned and grabbed her wrist.

"Amy, quit it!" he laughed as she tried desperately to escape his clutches. "Do you want the baby to come popping out while Knuckles is cutting the turkey?"

Amy kissed the tip of his nose. "The more the merrier," she smiled while swaying her head to the music playing softly from the radio in the corner. Sonic hadn't even let her turn up the radio to her preferred volume because he was afraid "it would disturb her."

_"It's like I waited my whole life for this one night,"_ she sang really off-key. _"It's gonna be me, you and dah dance floor…"_

Sonic shook his head and wandered off to the living room to pick up all his scattered newspapers, you know, the ones he was told to pick up a week before.

"You're really impossible, you know that?" he asked, exasperated, picking up a pair of bunny slippers from under the couch. Amy just smiled and continued dancing.

"Life's funny, isn't it?" Amy asked. "I remember saying something like that to you last week."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"They're here!" Amy exclaimed excitedly. She made her way to the door, but of course Sonic had gotten there before her. He gave her a disapproved look before reaching for the doorknob and turning it. A flood of people swarmed in, brandishing hot plates of delicious food to add to the table. Rouge was first in the house, supporting her large tummy, and was first to give Sonic a crushing hug. She was taller than he was, even when she couldn't wear her heels.

"Sonic! Good to see you!" she said. Before the blue hedgehog could say the same, she shoved past him to see Amy. They squealed the way girls do whenever they see each other. A large hand landed heavily on Sonic's shoulder. Knuckles stood behind him and gave his friend a pat.

"All right, Sonic?" he asked.

"Excellent," Sonic answered. "You?"

Knuckles shrugged. "I just got chewed out for not letting Rouge wear her new heels, but other than that…"

Tails was next to give the blue hedgehog a hug and shoved a bowl of something in his arms.

"It's Jell-O," he explained when Sonic tried to peek under the foil. "Cream made it."

Sonic grinned at the fox as he set the bowl onto the crowded table. "How are you, little buddy?"

Tails smiled in response and stepped out of the way for Cream to enter.

The greetings seemed to continue forever until Amy suggested that Sonic lead the male guests to the backyard to play some football. The noise went down exceedingly as Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Shadow, Silver, and even Blaze all headed out the back door, shoving each other the whole way. Amy felt a tiny twinge of jealousy. She loved playing football with everyone, but it seemed impossible at the moment. She was at least glad that Rouge and Cream were with her.

"So, Amy," Cream asked, picking up the tray of rolls and opening the bottom oven. "Have you heard from Mel recently?"

Amy nodded. "Oh, yes. We got a letter from him a few days ago. He says he wishes he could be here for Thanksgiving and the babies and everything, but he's really busy." She sighed. "Wouldn't that be great if he came?"

Rouge shrugged. "That whole king thing is still kind of weird to me. I know it's a different planet and everything…but seriously, it's just like something out of a fairy tale, or a very poorly written Fanfiction."

"Oh! The cranberry sauce is ready!" interrupted Cream.

The girls chatted for another hour while cooking and baking and bustling around the kitchen. Amy was so excited for more company, but she had a very strange feeling inside of her. She couldn't even explain it, so she came to the conclusion that she was feeling a little down for missing Mel. She and Sonic had even discussed that if he had lived nearer, they would gladly name him godfather of their child. But this was impossible, since he lived about a million miles away and was probably too busy fulfilling his duties as ruler of an entire planet to take on a child.

Even if this was what was bothering Amy, something else felt strange about today. She couldn't put her finger on it, so she decided to push the feeling out of her mind for the moment.

"So, Cream," asked Rouge mischievously. "How are you and Tails doing? Hit it off yet?"

Cream suddenly turned a bright shade of pink and looked down at the salad she was dressing. "Well…he asked me out, actually."

Amy let out a little girlish squeal and squeezed her friend tightly. "Bout time!" she exclaimed.

Suddenly there was a loud crash as all the men plus Blaze rushed into the room, faces red from the cold. They all sighed with relief as they entered the warm house, rubbing their hands together and hugging their shoulders. Both Rouge and Amy gave Tails mischievous grins as he entered. He flushed red and turned away.

"Let's eat! I'm starved!" he said.

Sonic came right on over to Amy, beaming with the cold still flushing his cheeks. He put an arm around her waist and kissed her nose. His lips felt like ice, but nevertheless, Amy grinned at him.

Everyone finally made their way to the long table, taking their seats and waiting in anticipation. The glorious smell of food wafting in from the kitchen was almost too much to bear. Rouge, Cream, Blaze, and Amy rushed in to grab some platters, and came out bearing trays of hot, delicious food. Plates of mashed potatoes, cranberries, rolls, salads, fruits, stuffing, and corn followed by bowls of gravy and pitchers of drinks crowded the table as everyone took their seats, stomachs growling and mouths drooling. Before anyone could reach for anything, Cream clapped her hands.

"All right, everyone!" she said cheerfully. "Before we eat, let's get the tradition going! Knuckles, you first!"

Silver put up his hands. "Wait a sec," he said with a puzzled expression on his face. "You'll have to catch me up on the traditions."

Amy had almost forgotten that this was Silver's first Thanksgiving away from his family, so of course he wouldn't know. But she hoped Cream wouldn't take too long to clarify the rules; her tummy was growling at her to eat.

"It's like this," Cream explained. "We go around the table and we all name three things we're thankful for, not including family."

"All right, all right, let's get this over with," grumbled Knuckles. "I guess I'm thankful for food, football…and Rouge is okay I guess," he added jokingly. Rouge gave his arm a playful punch. Amy had a hard time concentrating. Her stomach gave an uncomfortable jolt, which was not unusual lately, but it still made her uneasy. Amy was jolted out of her thoughts when she realized that it was her turn and everyone was staring at her. She blinked.

"Oh, um...I'm thankful for…" Amy thought for a moment. She was thankful for a lot of things…it would be hard to name three. "Let's see here…I'm thankful for you all, naturally, but family doesn't count I suppose…"

Suddenly, Amy caught Rouge's eye. The bat had a very curious expression plastered on her face. It was cross between shocked and apprehensive. Soon everyone followed Amy's gaze, wondering what she was looking at. Rouge had leaned over to Knuckles and was speaking under her breath.

"Hey, Knuckie…" she said so no one else could hear. Knuckles leaned in and listened for a moment, and then sprung up out of his chair so fast it toppled over.

_"What?!"_ he shouted, not even attempting to keep his voice down. "Now? Are you sure?"

Rouge nodded. "Yup."

Amy could only think of one thing that could be happening, and she clapped her hands together excitedly. "Really? This is so great!"

Soon everyone caught on and started chatting excitedly, standing up and rushing over to Rouge's side. Knuckles was completely freaking out and ran in circles.

"It's…it's coming now!" he yelled breathlessly. "What do I do?"

Rouge stood up on her own and calmly took her husband's arm. "Honey, chill. Just let me lean on you and walk slowly to the door…there's a good boy…"

Knuckles looked more shaken than Rouge as he unsteadily led her to the front door. Rouge turned and called back. "I'll see you guys later!"

But Sonic, Amy, and just about everyone else present were putting on their coats and scarves and following Rouge and Knuckles out the door. The food lay cold and forgotten on the dining room table, except for a few plates that Tails had taken along, stuffing his face as he went. Sonic helped Amy in the car (the one he had purchased cheap for Amy's sake, seeing as she was definitely not as fast as he) before climbing into the driver's seat and backing out of the driveway, trailing Knuckles' car ahead of them. The blue hedgehog glanced excitedly at Amy.

"Woah, this is so cool!" he said, grinning. "On Thanksgiving, too!" He looked over at Amy, whose face looked pale. "Amy…?" he asked tentatively. "I know you spent a long time cooking all day, but we'll eat a late dinner once we get home, all right?"

Amy shook her head and pressed her palm to her forehead. "No…no, that's not it…"

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Feeling okay?" he asked. Amy began to nod, but changed her mind and shook her head hard.

"Sonic…I…" she gave him a meaningful look, hoping he would take the hint. But Sonic only stared at the road.

"I told you that you shouldn't have been up all day! Want me to head back? I can go get the cold medicine in two seconds and…"

_ "Sonic!"_

The cobalt hedgehog glanced sideways at Amy with a questionable expression. Amy clutched her stomach and groaned.

"It's not the cold!"

Comprehension suddenly dawned on Sonic's face as his eyes widened horribly. "Wha-? _You too? _But it's too early!"

Amy nodded again fervently. Sonic pressed his foot harder on the pedal, shaking his head.

"What a day!" he exclaimed.

Amy clutched her cramping stomach and stared straight ahead with eyes as wide as a deer's caught in headlights. She knew childbearing would be uncomfortable, but something did not feel right.

…………………………………………


	11. Chapter 11

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

I will make this short and sweet. Before we begin, I would like to thank all of the readers who made it through my procrastination! One more thing, I know a lot of you had some questions about plot holes in the last chapter. You questioned why on earth Sonic would have a car when he is as fast as he is? Originally, I was going to have Sonic carry Amy to the hospital, but thinking on this, it seemed very odd. For one thing, Amy is twice as large and I did not want to risk Sonic hurting the baby. For another, it's just a silly image thinking about Sonic the Hedgehog carrying a woman twice his size. I'm sorry; it made me laugh. I know the car thing is stupid and pointless, but bear with me, as you have done so far. And thank you for comments and constructive criticism! I know that all of my stories so far have been dysfunctional and full of plot holes, but hey, it's a Fanfiction. They're supposed to be that way…right?

**Anyway, that was longer than I would have liked but…ONWARD!**

**XI.**

Amy thought that they would never arrive at the hospital soon enough. Her stomach twisted in pain as Sonic helped her out of the car. She stumbled and would have fallen if Sonic were not there to catch her and lead her to the entranceway. He looked worried.

"It's all right, Ames," he said soothingly. "I've got you."

Amy could not even muster a "thank you." It was cramps at its' worst, and she felt as though she could barely stay up on two legs. Just a parking lot away, Amy could see Knuckles' car positioned carelessly along two parking spaces. She hoped that Rouge had gotten inside okay.

When the couple had made it to the front doors and swung them open, they were greeted with an intimidating sight. The lights were dimmed over a gleaming floor, which smelled of alcohol and too-cleanliness, a high ceiling that made one dizzy to gaze up at, and a waiting room full of sickly-looking people, waiting for their turn. Sonic and Amy suddenly both caught sight of Knuckles and Rouge, who were practically biting the head of the nurse at the front desk.

"I am sorry, sir and madam, but you will have to wait. We are all full as it is…"

_" 'Full'?!_ I am giving birth here, mister!" Rouge replied angrily, looking still calmer than her husband. "Oh, do you want me to do it right here on the floor? Is that it?"

"Come on! My wife is having a baby! This is ridiculous!" Knuckles slammed his fist down on the desk where it left a small, cracked gap. He quickly withdrew his hand.

At this, Sonic led Amy hurriedly over to the secretary and gave meaningful looks to Knuckles and Rouge, who looked quite perplexed to see them.

"Hey, I thought you guys were in the waiting room like everyone else," said the echidna.

"Sonic the Hedgehog," the blue hedgehog, ignoring Knuckles for a moment, told the man behind the desk. "This is Amy Rose the Hedgehog. Please, she is giving birth and we also need a room as well."

Rouge gave Amy a wild look. "You too?"

Sonic nodded for her as Amy just focused on a small smudge on the floor, trying not to show how in pain she was. Before even Knuckles could even open his mouth, Rouge turned back to the secretary, enraged._ "You let us in right now or I will blast your genitals off and made you ENJOY IT!!"_

The man behind the desk looked flustered, as if he didn't know what to do next. He picked up a clipboard, scanned it carefully, and a sudden look of realization crossed his face.

"Oh!" he said. "Forgive me! For some reason I thought that birthing mothers had to wait until people with broken limbs went first! It is the other way around! How silly of me!" He laughed to himself. Rouge looked on the verge of murder. "A doctor will be here momentarily to…"

Before the man could finish his sentence, an older-looking fox gentleman hurried forward with two nurses at his sides, rolling wheelchairs into the room. Wordlessly, he sat both Rouge and Amy into the chairs and motioned the nurses to lead them away. He followed behind with Sonic and Knuckles in his wake.

"I do apologize about Anthony," he said in an undertone as they turned a corner into a brightly lit corridor. "It is only his first day on the job…"

Knuckles and Sonic exchanged weary expressions.

Amy had to admit it, for going into labor, Rouge sure looked a lot more composed than anyone else. Sonic looked horribly apprehensive, Knuckles looked like he was about to faint, and Amy clutched her stomach with such pain on her face that you would have thought she had been shot. Rouge sat in her chair, looking rather impatient, and every once in a while letting out a little groan – but otherwise, she looked collected.

"Hel-_lo?"_ she said every few minutes to the nurses pushing their wheelchairs. "Kind of giving birth here…"

Amy would have laughed at her friend's behavior, but she was too focused on staying upright, even as the nurse rolled the chair smoothly into a room. Rouge did not seem to be in nearly as much pain as the hedgehog. Was childbearing just different for everyone?

It was only a few minutes later when Amy found herself lying in a white, hospital bed, though whether it was comfortable or not, she never knew. Her only priority was to stay conscious as the doctor. Sonic sat by her side as she breathed in jagged breaths and clutched the bedclothes. Pretty soon, the doctor entered the room once again.

"Miss Amy Rose Hedgehog?" he inquired, studying his clipboard and acting as though nothing was wrong. "According to the records, it seems to be a bit soon to be having your baby. In these cases, it is usually fine, so I would not worry too much." He came closer and examined her face. Amy tried not to scowl at him as he made a note on his clipboard and turned to leave the room. "You may be uncomfortable for a few hours, in which case, simply press the call button if you require assistance."

When he had left, Amy pounded the bed with her fist and groaned. _"'Uncomfortable?!'"_ she mimicked.

Amy's contractions were unbearable by this time, and were occurring once every two minutes – a sure sign that the baby should be arriving soon. But whenever Sonic pointed this out to the nurse who was in and out, she only said, "Not yet, Mr. Hedgehog." This only made Amy even more frustrated, and she would get up from her bed and pace back and forth, constantly asking Sonic to distract her.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" she asked once. Sonic only scratched his head. She tried a different question.

"Remind me again," she said through clenched teeth. "What my favorite song is?"

Sonic thought hurriedly. "Uh…well, it's a song from your favorite musical, right? 'Gravity' or something…?"

"'Defying Gravity,'" Amy said. "Sing it to me."

Sonic wracked his brains. How did it go again? Amy would only sing it nearly every evening in the shower. "Er…_It's time to try defying gravity…_um…_and you can't take me down…_or…something…"

"No, no," Amy corrected, glad for something else to focus on. "It's _'and you can't _bring_ me down.'"_

"Right, right," Sonic sung again. He really had a horrible singing voice…

"Ah!" Amy clutched the edge of the bed and shut her eyes tight. Sonic stood up suddenly and rushed over to her aid.

"You should sit down," he said, a touch of worry in his voice. Amy shook her head hard.

"No, no, no," she insisted, waving him away. "I can't. Just contractions…I…I'll be fine."

The blue hedgehog still did not look convinced. Amy tried desperately to change the subject.

"So…do you know how Rouge is doing?"

Sonic looked relieved for the change in topic. "Yes, actually. Knuckles texted me a bit ago telling me that Rouge is fine and calm. She's still an hour or two away from birth, though."

Amy nodded. She wished that she could go and see how her friend was doing, but considering the present circumstance, that seemed impossible.

"Sonic," she said. "Will you go check on Rouge for me? I can't relax not knowing."

Sonic placed his hands on his hips. "I really don't think you'd be able to relax, anyway."

"Oh, please! I'll be fine; the nurse isn't far, and she said I still have a long time to _– argh!"_

She winced again and sat down on the bed, panting. Sonic took her hand and shook his head hard. "I'll be back in _one minute,"_ he promised. "And don't you try to get rid of me again."

Amy laughed weakly. "I might be here for hours, you know. Take a break. I'm fine."

Sonic shrugged and reluctantly headed for the door, turning back several times as if to make sure that Amy was still alive. She had to shoo him away and shut the door behind him.

Meanwhile, Knuckles was pacing the room, nearly having a mental breakdown while Rouge tried to calm him, giving him soothing words of comfort as if he were the one in labor. Sonic happened upon them just at this moment.

"Now, Knuckie, I'm fine, see?"

"But what if you're not? What if the baby…I dunno, explodes or something?"

"Knuckles!"

"Sorry, sorry! But what if he doesn't like me?"

"Hey, _she_ will love you! And why are you so sure it's gonna be a boy?"

"Hey, I never said…"

"A-HEM!"

Knuckles and Rouge both ceased their arguing at once and turned in unison towards the door where Sonic stood, trying to mask an apparent smirk on his face. Knuckles flopped down in a nearby chair.

"Amy nearly shoved me out the door to ask how you're doing," Sonic said with a joking grin to the bat. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine!" Rouge insisted, gently massaging her tummy. "The doctor said anytime now!" she suddenly winced and bent over slightly. Knuckles was up from his chair and by her side in an instant with a scared expression. "No, just the stupid contractions," she muttered, standing up again. "This kid really puts up a fight. I'll know when it's time." Knuckles did not look convinced as he sat down again.

"So, how's little Amy doing?" Rouge asked with big, round eyes.

"She seems okay," Sonic said, but he did not believe his words. "She wanted to get rid of me, though, I could tell."

"Probably for your sake," Knuckles suggested, shifting nervously in his chair. "I know that Rouge is most likely thinking the same thing."

"Honestly," the bat joked. "You're acting like _you're_ the one pregnant!"

This comment gave a temporary relief of laughter, but it was silenced at once when Rouge let out an especially loud groan and punched the bed. Knuckles' worried expression returned as he helped her to sit carefully on the bed. Rouge looked like she wanted to scream, yet when she spoke, she sounded as calm as she had all night.

"Get the doc, honey," she said.

Knuckles responded instinctively, helping his wife lie down and rushing over to the table to push the call button. He and Sonic exchanged meaningful looks, and Sonic took the hint. Silently wishing Rouge luck, he slipped from the room and headed back to Amy's. She was just as he had left her only she was reading a book and leaning back in the armchair. When she saw Sonic, she smiled faintly, question marks in her eyes.

"Rouge is in labor," he said. Saying it aloud made it true, and he suddenly realized how real this was. Amy's eyes lit up slightly and she nodded, turning back to her book with one hand lying gingerly on her tummy. Sonic approached cautiously, wondering what was wrong since she was so quiet. He knelt down next to her chair and placed a hand on top of hers. She did not move, but stared silently at the same word on the top of the page. Was she in pain? Sonic was almost afraid to ask, especially when she grimaced with the contractions. After a few silent moment, Sonic rested his eyelids.

It was nearly midnight when Amy finally spoke. Her voice made him jump out of his light sleep, and he wondered wildly that she was perhaps in labor. But when he looked over at her still seated in the chair, she was breathing only a bit more heavily as she repeated, "Check on Rouge. The nurse said she's had her baby."

Sonic stood slowly. "Will you be all right?"

She didn't say anything. Amy only stared off into space, as if in a trance.

_She's probably tired,_ Sonic thought, hoping that this was the case. He gave her hand a tiny squeeze. "I'll be right back," he said.

Sonic lifted his fist to knock on the door of Rouge's room, but it was opened suddenly. Knuckles stood in the doorway, looking positively radiant. He pulled Sonic inside.

"It's a girl!" he said in an excited whisper, leading Sonic over to the bed. Sonic was just glad that Rouge and Knuckles did not find it embarrassing to have Sonic see their baby. The hedgehog walked up carefully to Rouge, who looked exhausted, but beaming just as much as her husband. The small, wrapped bundle in her arms was held out slightly for Sonic to see. The little girl's brilliant amethyst eyes sparkled back at him, and her large, scruffy ears made him want to laugh. Knuckles came over to hold the little bat in his strong arms. Rouge smiled.

"Her name's Madison," she said proudly, watching Knuckles nuzzle his nose to the baby. Sonic smiled. Hopefully that would be him with his baby soon. His heart soared for the new parents.

Just then, a doctor came bustling into the room, looking breathless.

"Sonic the Hedgehog?" he said.

Sonic stepped forward. "That's me," he replied apprehensively.

"Your wife, Amy Rose Hedgehog has gone into labor – "

Rouge gasped and clapped her hands. "That's great doc! How long do you think it'll be?"

Sonic fiddled with his pockets excitedly. "Yeah, when? Is she all right?"

The doctor shook his head hard.

"You had better come with me," he said. The worry and disappointment in his voice made Sonic's heart stop in his chest. "Your wife is…bleeding severely. We don't know if she or the baby will make it."

………………………………………..


	12. Chapter 12

**XII.**

Sonic had to ask the doctor to repeat what he had said to him, and even as he raced to Amy's room, carelessly pushing past patients, he still could hardly believe his ears and replayed the message over and over again in his head.

_ "Your wife is bleeding severely. We don't know if she or the baby will make it."_

Sonic knew it was too early for Amy to have the baby, but he had not thought for a moment that something like this would happen. Of course, as an expectant father he would naturally have fears of complications in the birth, but he had hoped beyond hope that his fears would never become a reality. He was wrong. He had never been so downtrodden to be wrong in his entire life. Figures passed in a blur; white, grey, there was not much color. All Sonic knew was that he had to get to his wife to make sure that she was all right, which he knew she was far from being.

There was a lot of movement coming in and out of the hallway near where Amy was staying, again, all blurs. A young nurse asked him a question, but Sonic had to ask her to repeat it. Why were his ears ringing?

"I said _are you Sonic the Hedgehog?"_ she asked again patiently. Sonic swallowed and nodded. The nurse took his arm gently and urgently pulled him into a hallway. He could barely grasp what was going on as he was dragged down the dark corridor.

"How is she…?" Sonic's voice was raspy. The nurse did not meet his eyes.

"She is…not doing as well as we had hoped," she said finally as they turned another corner and pushed open a door just as a doctor rushed out of it. "Too much blood for a normal pregnancy, and the baby is coming out crooked. If it doesn't turn in the correct position soon then…" Sonic could understand completely why she did not finish the sentence.

When they had reached the room a few minutes later – or was it hours? – Sonic did not rush in ahead of the nurse. He allowed himself to be dragged into the doorway. His feet were numb, and he felt his heart being squeezed as he hesitantly looked over to the hospital bed to where he knew his wife was lying. Amy did not look like herself. Her hair has straggled out of her ponytail and hung in wet strings over her face, which had drained of all color. She looked absolutely worn out, but the anguish twisting her face made Sonic want to cry out to her. He averted his eyes from the bloodstained sheets and was by her side in one swift movement. He took her hand in his and squeezed, not even sure if she felt it or if she was even aware that he was sitting there. She let out one high-pitched, distressing groan that tugged at Sonic's heartstrings, but he did not look away from her face. Her chest moved up and down rapidly as though she had run a thousand miles. He finally stood up, his jaw set and his face determined, as he turned to the doctor.

"What do you want me to do, doc?" he asked.

It was the longest night of Sonic's life. The doctors had no trouble convincing him to stay by Amy's side and comfort her, which is exactly what he did without complaint.

"Talk soothingly," they advised. "Don't make her stress out more than she already is."

The blue hedgehog averted his eyes from the blood-ridden doctors at the edge of the bed, swallowing a lump in his throat as he did, and brushed the stray hairs out of Amy's face. He squeezed her hand. "Everything's fine, I'm here," he said to her.

It made Sonic's throat go dry the way Amy turned her head and looked at him with her shimmering jade eyes; hanging on to his gaze as if he was going to make everything all right. Sonic blinked back tears. He had never really remembered crying before; he just was not that emotional. But Amy's life was slipping, he knew. He could not let this happen again. She had to be all right. She just had to. For him. For the child.

Suddenly, the pink hedgehog wrenched her gaze from Sonic's face and let out a bone-chilling cry, hot tears streaming down her face.

"The baby needs to come out with it's head first!" someone screamed. "It cannot come out crooked!"

A fire was burning in Amy's eyes that Sonic had never seen before. As fatigued as she was, she squeezed her husband's hand so it lost circulation. She turned her face towards his and stared at him, piercing daggers into his orbs.

"Sonic…" she whispered.

"Push, Miss Amy!"

"Yes, Amy?" his voice was unnaturally calm.

"Can you hear me, Miss Amy? Once more!"

"_Amy!" _

Amy squeezed her eyes shut, summoned all of her strength, and gave one final try. Sonic had no idea that tears were pouring from his eyes until one fell in his open mouth. He clenched his teeth.

"_Please!"_

And then…

A high sound echoed in the silence. A baby cry. A beautiful sound.

"A girl," the doctor said calmly. There was a smile in his voice as he carried a bloody, furry bundle over to a table, with three or four nurses assisting him. Other men and women in white coats hurried over to clean up the mess and to check on Amy. She had her eyes shut. Sonic's heart stopped beating. Had he not noticed…? Had she…?

He touched her face.

"The baby is healthy," a nurse said to Sonic, having trouble suppressing a smile. "She's beautiful."

"But…Amy…" Sonic's vision had gone out of focus again. Was he really crying again?

"I want to hold my baby."

Sonic nearly jumped out of his skin. Amy's eyes were wide open; showing more vigor than Sonic had ever seen anyone have. In a few moments, the doctor came over, handing a bundle of blankets to the new mother. Amy took the delivery carefully and stared into the bundle for the longest time. There was no sound but the heavy breathing of the mother. A faint smile suddenly twitched at Amy's lips and a few crystal droplets escaped her eyes. She finally noticed Sonic gaping at her and nodded, reading his mind. The blue hedgehog reached out his shaking hands and took the blankets afraid he might drop them.

A girl. Sonic's mind was blank. There was white all around except for the blue of his fur and the pink of the little child's in front of him. She had his shade of green eyes and Amy's pink fur. She had angel hair: wispy and curly. Her button nose made him smile, and when she sneezed he thought he would never stop laughing. The baby did not cry, she only looked on him with wonder shining in her emerald eyes. Sonic sat down next to Amy and kissed her forehead softly.

"You were amazing," he said to her. Amy just sighed.

……………………………………………………..

"So, what have you guys been up to lately?"

Amy poured Rouge some more tea and sat down next to her friend, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth and chewing, darting her eyes to the playpen a few feet away where the girls were lying on their backs and picking up blocks, studying them carefully. Amy smiled slightly.

"Oh, not much," Rouge replied, sipping her tea and turning in her chair to watch her daughter play with Rosie. "Maddie's already chewing on just about everything she…_Maddie! No!"_ Rouge jumped up from her chair with the speed and agility of someone half her age, reached into the playpen, and yanked something small from the little white bat's mouth. Little Madison looked startled for a moment before bursting out in tears. Rouge rolled her eyes. "Oh for…" she scooped up the little bat and patted her back. "Honestly," she said. "All she does is cry, and the next minute, she's perfectly…"

Maddie stopped crying.

"…fine," Rouge finished. Amy laughed and picked up her own little hedgehog, wiping Rosie's mouth with a napkin before joining her friend at the table again. She bounced the curly-haired girl on her knee and added some sugar to her tea.

"Seriously, I think I'm just getting fatter every day," Rouge pouted and looked herself over. "I swear I've gained like two pounds this week."

Amy shook her head. "No way. You look fine, Rouge. I'm the one who out on a ton of extra weight. I just can't seem to get rid of it!"

Rouge nodded vigorously.

"How's Knuckles doing?"

Rouge laughed and pulled a pacifier from her pocket and stuffed it into her daughter's mouth. Madison chewed contentedly.

"You would think _he_ just gave birth," she said, reaching for the cinnamon pop-tarts and biting into one. "I'm serious, he's still in shock, even though his kid's three months old now. But Maddie loves her daddy, don't you, pumpkin?" Rouge nuzzled her daughter's nose. Maddie gurgled.

"Same with Sonic," Amy said, trying to get little Rose to eat some applesauce but to no avail. She put the spoon down, but Rosie reached for it at once, and Amy was forced to pick it up again. "He loves his daughter, though. It's adorable to see them playing together. She knows who he is, too!" she added excitedly. Rouge cocked her head.

"She knows who he is? Of course she does, he's her dad."

Amy stirred her tea thoughtfully. "I know, but…it's just exciting."

Rouge shrugged and pulled out Maddie's pacifier and tried to feed her daughter some mushy peas. Maddie took one bite, then stuffed the head of the spoon in her mouth and refused to let go. Rouge did not even attempt to try anymore. She sighed and looked out the window at the rain pattering against the windowpanes.

"I can't wait for Mel to come visit," she said. "I know he's busy and everything, but the girls need to see their godfather sometime, you know?"

"Yeah…" Amy met her friend's eyes, and they seemed to exchange a thousand words in that one glance. The months of pregnancy together, the talks of encouragement and complaining and eating, the childbearing on the same day, sharing hopes and fears, and finally, days like this where they could sympathize and watch their kids together, simply sipping tea like their problems were only little insignificant specs in the universe. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, and Amy could not have hoped for a better ending.

Finally, little Maddie interrupted the quiet moment with an impatient groan, snapping Rouge out of her trance. Rouge stood up.

"She's fussy," she said, motioning to her daughter. "I'd better get her home and to bed. But you know what…" Amy stood and listened. "It is so nice not to be nauseous all the time."

Amy could not help but agree.

"Come by tomorrow – we'll order pizza and the girls can watch VeggieTales," Amy called after her friend, who was sprinting to her car through the rain.

"I miss that show!" the bat replied before waving and getting into her car, turning the corner, and disappearing down the street. Amy closed the door.

Little Rose tugged on Amy's hair and whimpered softly.

"Time for bed," Amy said automatically.

As she tucked the little, fragile hedgehog into her crib and kissed her on the nose, she could not help but suppress a smile when she imagined Sonic coming through the door and bursting into his goofy grin when she showed him the adorable picture she had taken that morning of Rose fast asleep on the floor.

Amy sat by the door and waited.

The End.

………………………………………………………

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Ta daaa! And there it is! The big finale! Thank you everyone for sticking with the series this far and for all the encouragement whenever I was in a slump! This chapter took a while because I wanted it to be perfect for you guys, so sorry for the wait! Thank you for sticking with the hedgehogs until the end!**

**Truly,**

**Elizabeth Black**

**P.S. I am working on a picture of this last scene with Rouge and Amy chatting and sipping tea, but it might not be up for a week or two because I will be on vacation. So every so often, just look for ElizabethxBlack on deviantart .com**

**P.P.S. Check out the other stories I am working on! It would mean a lot!**


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